Full Moon Eyes
by StArRyStArRyNiGhTs
Summary: Jacob/OC. Jacob Black finally thought that he had it all figured out, until a new girl shows up on the Reservation and makes him question everything he had thought was certain.
1. Chapter 1: New In Town

Chapter 1: New In Town

The walk up to and across La Push beach was a long, cold one. Jessica's nose crinkled up with disgust as she watched her boots sink into the wet sand almost up to her ankles. Cold, wet, rainy Washington. The last place she wanted to be right then.

She had always liked the cold weather. Her mother pointed that out to her as soon as she broke the news of where they were going.

Her mother was perpetually searching for "the right place." Having experienced a "spiritual awakening" a few years ago, Diane had kept her daughter on the move until she could find someplace that made her feel "whole". Having no inkling of what exactly would make her mother feel "whole", Jessica was left to follow around in her tracks, picking up the pieces of each life that they had left behind and trying to shove them back together to make something new in a new place.

And that's what brought her to the La Push Indian Reservation in Forks, Washington. One of her mom's friends had told her about a teaching position that had opened up at a school on the Reservation, and Diane had immediately jumped on it. It was a small position – the school only had thirty kids total – but that was the way Diane seemed to prefer it. Small, one-on-one. Two days later, she had secured the position (as wacky as her mom could be at times, she was a damn good Literature teacher) and she was welcomed home from school by a room full of boxes and a U-Haul.

She had just started getting used to Mississippi too. That was always how it was. As soon as she got comfortable, her mom emerged from her bedroom with ten roles of packing tape. It was exhausting.

As much as she hated to admit it, so far, she didn't actually mind her new home. It would have been easy for her if the place made her miserable, but it didn't. Not at all.

It was quiet. She liked small-town life, and she loved Native American culture. The small cabin that she and her mother shared was warm and homey, full of colorful woven rugs and handmade-touches that the Quileute had given to them as welcoming presents. Her room was small, but she didn't mind. And it was kind of cool to live without a television blaring through the wall from another room.

It was only their second day in Forks, so she had begun exploring the terrain. Much to her delight, she had realized that there was a beach only about a fifteen minute walk away – five if you went by bike. If she ever learned how to really ride that bike that she had hidden in the closet, maybe she'd get places faster.

Now, this "beach" was definitely not the same kind of beach that immediately came to mind when one said, "Let's take a trip to the beach!" by any means. It was cold – definitely not bikini friendly – and dark, with bits of driftwood and dead branches scattered all around. But there was water, and sand, and that was all she needed. Diane theorized that Jessica's love of water came from her placement underneath the "pisces" astrological sign. Not sure if it was all that, Jessica preferred to say that she just liked the water. Especially the beach.

And so, when she stumbled upon the La Push beach, she couldn't help but interpret it as a kind of sign. A sign that maybe, just maybe, she'd be happy there.


	2. Chapter 2: Girl Meets Wolf

Chapter 2: Girl Meets Wolf

Before too long, she had reached the end of the beach and turned to head back home. Noticing a rough dirt path that led up the side of the cliff, just to the left of the beach, she decided that it might be a suitable shortcut to her destination.

Jessica didn't hesitate in making her decision. After all, the whole point of her afternoon out on the Reservation was to explore her surroundings, wasn't it? She headed straight for the steep trail and started up it, realizing about halfway through that the path was probably too muddy and slippery to have been a wise choice. She was already almost to her destination, though, so she continued on, almost slipping several times on the wet muck. She held her ground by jamming her bare fingers into the deep, squishy brown crevasses on the side of the cliff as her feet moved rapidly to keep up with the steep slant.

Once she had and clawed her way up to the top, she realized with dismay that there was forest all around and no obvious route back to her cabin on the reservation. Looking around in vain for a clear path, she decided that her safest bet was to follow the cliff's edge to try to find her way back. The decision had clearly been made by others before her, as she saw that a thin line of bare ground showed through the tall, unwieldy grass that grew up from the forest. Wiping her hands firmly against her jeans, she headed on her way, unconcerned about the reddish-brown mess that she had made on her brand new jeans.

She paused a few moments later to appreciate her surroundings. The cliff offered the perfect view above the rocky beach to watch the tide roll in and out, splashing firmly against the rocks and releasing a resonating "Fwsh!" sound each time it did so.

She tried to avoid looking at the other side – the side with the forest. It seemed to her like something out of a children's fairy tale. The kind that were pretty but bizarrely creepy once you got lost inside of them. The only thing separating her from the dark abyss of greenery was a long ditch, probably about three feet deep, that looked as though it stretched along the edge of the entire cliff. She wondered whether it was man-made or not. If it _was_ man made, what was its purpose?

She noticed with a thoughtful smile that, although the ditch had made it its business to catch all of the dying tree leaves and extra rainwater that were so plentiful in Forks, there was no trash collecting at the bottom. In Mississippi, the hole would have been filled with empty McDonald's cups, half-eaten candy bars, and napkins from the local 7-11. But here, on the reservation, the ditch seemed to be untouched by human hands. As if it could have been there for years, built by ancestors that this generation's Quileute tribe couldn't even remember, and completely forgotten. In fact, the whole place seemed like no one walked around on it at all.

"No carbon footprints trotting over here." Jessica mumbled to herself as she continued on her way.

Absentmindedly picking the mud out from underneath her fingernails, she didn't see the giant tree root sticking up out of the ground. By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late and she had slipped and fallen into the crevasse off the side of the path. She cried out in pain and frustration as her right leg fell at an angry angle underneath her and she felt the dirty water seep in through the threats of her blue jeans.

It took all of her upper arm strength to get herself out of the hole, but once she did she looked down at her now ruined clothes.

"Mom is gonna kill me."

She shifted her weight onto her hands and knees and used her good ankle to support her as she attempted to stand. She breathed in sharply through her nose and waited in that position on all fours, mentally preparing herself for the great lift onto two legs like a chimpanzee waiting to evolve. She swung her head up to look challengingly at the open air around her.

In the woods along side of her, she heard a soft, low rumble. She swiftly turned her head to the side to identify the source of the noise.

And that's when she saw the wolf.

~*~

Jacob was on a routine patrol of the woods, stretching his legs and using his wolf form for the first time in what seemed like forever but was, in reality, only a couple of weeks. After all that had happened, with Bella joining the Cullen Clan and having that beautiful baby girl that it was so hard to hate, he had a lot of thinking to do and even more explaining to do to his father, sisters, and his rare but still existent human friends.

Fun as that had been, it was good to be back. As he felt the power and the heightened senses of the wolf consume his human form, he couldn't understand how he could have stayed away for so long.

He had just crossed the trail into the far end of the forest, heading towards the east end of the Reservation, when his hyper-sensitive nose noticed a new smell. By now, Jacob was familiar with just about every scent on the reservation, but this was something new. Something interesting. He instinctively began to follow it.

The scent took him through the dense forest towards the beach. It grew stronger and more intoxicating the further out he went. What was it? It couldn't be a human – what would a human be doing so far out from the town? It certainly didn't _smell_ human.

But human, it was. He arrived at the edge of the forest just in time to see a young woman pop her head over the cliff's edge and shimmy her way onto flat ground.

Instantly, he began to feel something very odd and overpowering. A warmth spread through him, starting at his hairline and gravitating slowly down towards his feet. He could feel his hair begin to stand on end and his skin start to shake and sweat. If he had been in his human form, he definitely would have been flushing. His strong wolf heart began to beat at an irregular speed.

Thinking he was losing control, he turned away and quietly melted back into the forest, but the beating of his heart just got louder. He was sure that she would hear it.

He tried to leave, but felt as though his paws were cemented into the dirt. He couldn't take it any more – he had to look at her again. Creeping through the forest, he watched as she stood up and carelessly wiped her muddy hands across her pants. As she observed her surroundings, he observed her.

She was definitely short – probably around 5" tall – with long, brown hair that she had pulled into a ponytail behind her head. She was wearing jeans and a crimson jacket with a fur-lined hood, zipped all the way up, indicating that she was not used to the cold Washington weather. Her face was pale, but her lips, cheeks, and the tip of her nose were red from the cold.

An instant comparison was unavoidable. But when Bella came into Jacob's head, all he could think of was how much prettier this girl was. How much nicer, warmer, softer she seemed. How much more he wanted to be with her.

She had begun to walk and his paws moved without command, forcing him to follow. He was attracted to her like a magnet and unconsciously, he drew closer and closer. He wanted to see more of her.

Suddenly, she was falling, slipping down the side of the ditch that the ancients of his tribe had built to protect their land from invaders. Before she had settled into the bottom of the ditch, he had exposed himself, jumping from behind the trees in case she needed him. Her startled cry made him start, but he watched as she quickly helped herself out of the hole and thought about how strong she seemed.

She was mumbling curse words to herself as she grouchily pushed herself to her feet, and he laughed at her indignation. The noise of his own growl made him realize that he had forgotten to retreat to cover. Before he could move backwards and make for the woods, her eyes were staring back at him in wild apprehension.

~*~

Jessica stared at the wild animal in shock and fear. She had never seen a wolf before, but she hadn't imagined that they could get that big. Wolves, she had always thought, were a bit bigger than dogs. This one was at least the size of four dogs. It was bigger than _her_!

She desperately tried to remember what she had learned about wild animal encounters in wilderness camp when she was seven, but none of it was coming back to her. She was quite sure that she wasn't supposed to run, but if she wasn't supposed to run, what the hell else was she supposed to do?

The wolf didn't move. It just stared right back at her.

Slowly, she eased backwards, trying to put distance between herself and the gigantic beast. It watched her walk a few steps before, faster than anything she'd ever seen, it pounced.

~*~

Jacob watched in dismay as the girl stared at him in horror. He could almost see her mind turning, rapidly trying to think of ways to get away from him. He watched her take one step back, and then another. He was ready to turn and leave her alone when he realized that if she took one more step, she would tumble down the edge of the cliff onto the rocky beach below.

He didn't think of anything other than saving her. In an instant, he jumped to stop her.

~*~

When she hit the ground, her head snapped back and smashed against the rock behind her. She couldn't catch a breath and her forehead started to throb. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the wolf to sink its teeth into her neck.

She stayed that way for several minutes, waiting. To her surprise, the moment never came. When she opened her eyes again, the wolf was gone.

Shes laid there in shock, breathing in deeply through her mouth, in and out, in and out. It was several minutes before she could even think about trying to sit up.

What the hell had just happened?

She propped herself up on her elbows and looked around. She was utterly alone. No wolf in sight. Squinting at the forest, she tried to see through the dense trees but to no avail.

Taking a deep breath, she tightened her abdomen and forced herself into a seated position and then a standing one. She swayed uneasily, overcome with dizziness, and put her hand to her head. Feeling something warm and wet, she brought her hand around to look at it. It was covered in blood.

Seconds later, Jessica fainted.


	3. Chapter 3: Fuzzy Memories

Notes: The Disclaimer from Chapter 1 still stands. Also, don't be confused: I DID change the character's name. I'm not sure why... Jessica just felt better to me.

Also, do not be alarmed! Jessica will be NOTHING like Bella - the only similarity is hair color. I promise! If you think they're getting too similar, let me know so that I can get conscious of it and try to adjust accordingly. :)

* * *

Chapter 3: Fuzzy Memories

Learning from their experiences, Jacob's pack had begun to hide clothing in areas of the forest where they might return to their human forms and find themselves without clothing in the middle of a cold Washington winter. After seeing Jessica faint, Jacob ran to the nearest hiding spot he could think of to get dressed.

With his Converse sneakers halfway pulled on, heels rubbing roughly against the firm leather that had broken through the cloth long ago, Jacob ran as fast as his feet would carry him back to the spot where he had left her.

Sure enough, she was still there. Unconscious.

He lifted her easily into his arms and hurried with her to the only doctor's clinic on the reservation.

"Jacob! Good to see you!" The receptionist, Rosita, smiled from behind her desk. Her smile disappeared when she saw the girl in his arms. "My goodness, what happened?"

"I'm not sure." he answered quickly, "I found her in the forest."

"Dr. Vasquez!" Rosita called into the back room, sounding a bit panicked. The health clinic on the reservation had only five full time employees, including only one doctor, and it was rare that they had a real emergency.

The doctor emerged seconds later, looking like she was in no hurry. "Well, hello there Jacob. You're not sick I'm sure – " She began with the usual greetings but stopped short when she noticed his precious cargo. "Bring her into the back."

Jacob moved immediately through the doorway and laid Jessica on one of the two cots in the room. "I found her in the woods." he told the doctor before she could ask. "I don't know what happened. I think she hit her head.

The doctor began her examination, taking the girl's pulse and listening to her heart beat, shining a pen light into her eyes, before lifting her head. She took a sharp breath, "Yep, definitely a nasty cut there." She pulled the girl's hair out of her ponytail, and the smell that had drawn Jacob to her in the first place wafted thickly through the air. Vanilla, lavender, cinnamon, and something else…Not just shampoo.

"Is she okay?"

"Yes, she'll be fine. Rosita, get me some smelling salts, will you?"

He watched protectively as the doctor cleaned out the wound on the back of the girl's head and put some kind of antiseptic on it. Rosita obediently emerged with a small bottle and, when the doctor nodded at her, ran it underneath the girl's nose a few times. She took about three breaths before shaking her head a little and opening her eyes.

"There she is." Dr. Vasquez said with a smile.

"I – Where am I?"

Jacob hadn't thought it would be possible for him to be more attracted to this girl – until she opened her eyes. That now familiar head-spinning, heart-dropping, unsettled stomach feeling that had slowly begun to ebb and had allowed the beating of his heart to lower a few decibels now re-emerged with a vengeance. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"You are in the Quileute Health Clinic. Jacob here found you unconscious in the woods. Do you often have blackouts?"

"Blackouts?" She looked around confused. "I – Uh, no I don't black out."

"Do you remember what happened?" the doctor asked kindly.

"I was walking near the beach. I climbed up the side of the rock – "

"That is so dangerous!" The doctor admonished. "Don't ever do that again!"

The girl just smiled sheepishly and shrugged a little. "I made it up alright. I was walking and – "

Jacob's chest tightened as the girl cocked her head to one side thoughtfully.

"Shouldn't we call her family?" he interrupted quickly.

She seemed to notice him for the first time, and when she turned to look at him their eyes locked.

Now that he could see her head-on, he realized that she had the most beautiful green eyes he'd ever seen. They were bright, deep, and clear. And right now, full of confusion.

"Oh – yes of course!" Rosita hurried to her side with a pen and paper. "Do you have a contact number, sweetie?"

She was still looking at Jacob, but when his eyes flashed over to the receptionist, hers followed.

"I – we don't have a phone yet. My mom and I just moved here yesterday."

Dr. Vasquez's eyes flashed with recognition. "Oh! You're the Townsend girl!"

"Uh, yes. That's me. Jessica."

So, her name was Jessica. It was beautiful, like her. Fitting.

"Well, Jessica, I know where your cabin is. I can take you back up myself. Just let me get my keys – "

"Oh, I'm okay to walk." She lowered her eyes when the doctor looked at her crossly. "If that's okay. I'd like to walk. I'm supposed to be finding my way around – and my mom wouldn't be happy to learn that after barely 24 hours I've ended up in the ER."

At that, Dr. Vasquez laughed. "This is hardly the ER. But, if that's the case…" She seemed to think about it for a minute before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I just can't let you go alone. I'm not even sure you don't have a concussion yet."

The look of disappointment on Jessica's face broke Jacob's heart. "I'll walk her home." He volunteered before really thinking about it. This way, he'd get a chance to get to know her more.

She looked at him again with those giant green eyes and he felt himself melt into the ground.

"Oh no, don't worry about it. It's fine. I don't want to put anyone out is all."

"I have to head back that way anyway. You're in the Kwaiya Cabin, right?"

Jessica nodded.

"That's close to my place. You ready?"

The nurse and Jacob helped her to her feet.

"Okay. Well, Jacob, you bring her right back here if she starts to act funny. I'm going to give you a prescription for some pain killers – I have a few samples here to last you through the night. That head is going to throb like there's no tomorrow soon."

Jessica nodded gratefully and took the small paper bag that the doctor handed her.

"It was nice to meet you, although I wish you'd waited for me to come by and visit before konking yourself over the head and landing on a cot here." Jessica's musical laugh filled the air, and Jacob felt his already above average body temperature rise at least ten degrees. "I'm Dr. Vasquez. I put my card in that bag – check in with me in a day or so to let me know how you're feeling. If you don't, I'll come up there after you."

"Will do. I promise. It was nice to meet you."

Jacob held the door open for her to walk through it, and they started along the gravel road towards the cabins in silence.

"So, you're new to the Rez?" He asked her after a few agonizingly long minutes.

She was kicking pebbles on the ground as she walked. "Yeah. My mom is the new kindergarten teacher."

"Oh. That's cool."

"I guess so." she shrugged. "Who knows how long that'll last though?"

Jacob looked down at her. From this close up, their height differences were staggering. She was at least a foot and a half shorter than him. He felt big, bulky, and awkward next to her. He took an almost imperceptible step to his left, away from her, to balance out their differences. Her eyes followed his feet as they moved away.

"Move around a lot?"

She sighed softly, "More than you can imagine."

"Any particular reason?"

She smiled and laughed a little bit. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me." he challenged.

They were following the side of the road, with Jessica closest to the forest on her right. She reached her hand out and felt the trees brush up against her palm. "My mother is on a spiritual quest."

As they walked, Jacob shifted his torso around to look at the side of her face. "Seriously?" he asked with a smile.

"Seriously."

"Well, you've come to the right place then." he moved his shoulders from side to side awkwardly. "We Quileute are pretty spiritual."

"So we've been told." She brought her palm back down to her side and shoved both hands in her pockets. "My dad was Native American, so I think it's really a subconscious effort to reconnect with him."

"He was Quileute?"

She shook her head, letting her long hair blow in her face. She lifted her hand to her forehead to hold it back.

"Cherokee. He died when I was six. We've been moving around ever since."

"I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago." She told him. "It's okay now. I mean, it's always hard to think about, but…" Jessica let her comment trail off, not sure what she was intending to end it with.

"My mom died when I was young too. I don't really feel comfortable talking about it either."

She nodded. "Everyone wants you to talk about it, though. They tell you it's not normal to _not _talk about it. I'd really rather they just left me alone, you know?"

"I know exactly what you mean. There were some times when I just – I just wanted to go hide myself in a cave where no one would come to talk to me."

"And, half of the time, I would think to myself, even if I was going to talk to someone about it, it wouldn't be you."

"Yeah, and there's no nice way to say that to someone."

"Nope. Like, 'Sorry, I don't actually _know_ you at all. Why would I share the most painful moment of my childhood with you?'" Jessica suddenly clapped her hand to her mouth. "Oh my god, like I'm doing right now, aren't I?" she looked at him with an embarrassed smile. "I'm so sorry – I don't know where that came from."

"Hey, I was talking too. It's not like you were just rambling to yourself. Which might have been awkward."

They both laughed then and Jacob felt more comfortable with her than he had ever felt with anyone before.


	4. Chapter 4: Definitely A Wolf

**Chapter 4: Definitely a Wolf**

Jessica tried to ignore the throbbing in her head as she made a desperate attempt to have a decent conversation with the insanely cute guy next to her. "So, thanks for…rescuing me I guess."

He smiled, looking down at the ground. "I'm sure you could have held your own."

"All evidence to the contrary." She shook her head. "It's just so weird – one minute I was standing there looking at the beach, and the next…"

Her forehead creased in concentration as she tried to remember exactly what had made her fall.

"A wolf…"

Jacob stopped short. "A wolf?"

She looked at him, nodding. "I'm almost certain I saw a wolf out there…a really big one."

"That's impossible," he told her with a shake of his head, "There aren't any wolves in these forests. Maybe you saw a dog?"

"Maybe." She frowned thoughtfully. "But I'm pretty sure it jumped on me."

He laughed. "Then I think I would have found you with a little more than a hole in your head."

She nodded, but Jacob could tell that she was still thinking about it.

"Are you going to school on the Rez?" he asked her a moment later, trying to get her mind off of the afternoon's events.

"Huh?" Jessica's mind had been off, thinking about the wolf. She was sure she'd seen it – a really really big wolf… "Oh – yeah, school. Um, no, I'm taking online courses from Mississippi State. I was enrolled there before the big move.

"You didn't stay there to finish up?"

Shaking her head, Jessica explained, "My mother could never survive on her own. I have to be there to remind her to screw on her head in the morning."

"That's unfortunate." His quirky smile excited butterflies in her stomach.

"Are you in school there?"

Jacob shook his head. "I graduated a while ago. I'm taking some time off. Maybe I'll look at courses online or something. But I'm not sure how that all works. I'm a little afraid they wouldn't be able to keep my attention."

"I could show you mine later if you want. So you could kind of see the format and everything."

"Oh yeah," he nodded, "that…that would be great."

There were a few more minutes of silence as Jessica's cabin come into view.

"Ah, well, this is me." She gestured towards the path that wound its way up a gentle hill, ending at a sweet, homey looking cabin that already had all kinds of feminine touches. Jacob rested a hand on their rusty mailbox as he remarked on the differences between her home and his.

"You guys look like you've lived here for years. My dad and me – we don't have a set up quite like this."

"What do you mean?"

"Like, with the pillows on the swing and the little sign on the door…girl stuff." Perfect teeth shown through a bright smile as he squinted up at the cabin.

"Oh." She followed his gaze. "I never really thought about it. Half of the boxes still aren't unpacked. I thought those were the most important. I don't know – that stuff makes it feel like home."

He nodded.

"Well," she went a couple feet up the path, "Thanks for walking me back. Making sure I didn't faint or die or anything."

"My pleasure." He bobbed gently in the form of a half-bow. "Sure you can make it from here?"

Jessica smiled, "I think I can manage."

"Okay. Just remember to call Doc Vasquez. She wasn't joking – she _will_ hunt you down."

"I'll definitely do that then. Touching as the star treatment is, I don't think I need any more rescuing today. My ego is rapidly deflating."

Jacob's laughter filled the air and Jessica felt her face flush. "Well, you'd better stop falling apart then."

"Working on it." She said as she started up the path, away from Jacob. Slowly, she felt her heartbeat return to a normal pace.

~*~

Jacob watched her curvaceous form retreat further into the distance, but the fluttering feeling that he felt did not fade. In fact, it seemed like with each step she took away from him, the more he wanted to follow her. It felt as if there was an invisible string tied between her finger and his heart, and the further away she got, the tighter the string tugged.

What the hell was happening to him? He had never felt like this before. Even when he had liked Bella – no, _loved_ Bella – his feelings were strong but nothing like this. He thought that as soon as she opened the door and disappeared behind it he would suffocate. His body was tense, and he could feel the blood shooting through his veins and arteries methodically.

He had to talk to his dad.

~*~

Jessica continued on her direct path towards her front door, willing herself not to look back at her incredibly attractive neighbor. Friend? She didn't even know. Life was confusing.

She made it through the door before the girly squeal and excited rapid jumping occurred. She stopped after two small jumps because she got dizzy, but couldn't stop herself from peering through the corner of the window to watch him walk off.

It had been quite awhile since Jessica had actually spoken to a guy. Most of the time they ignored her and she ignored them. She knew better than to try to start a relationship with a guy when she'd most likely have to move in a few months. But he had talked to her. For a while. Maybe she'd made a friend? It seemed like centuries had passed since she'd really had one of those…

"Jessica? Is that you?"

She looked towards the kitchen with surprise. Her mother had been running around trying to get to know the reservation and the school grounds. She hadn't expected her to be home this early.

"Mom?"

"In the kitchen!"

Jessica wove her way through the maze of boxes and into the kitchen – the one area besides their bedrooms that had been unpacked.

"Oh, thank god you're alright!"

"Huh?" Jessica leaned against the threshold, watching her mom put the finishing touches on a casserole.

"The receptionist from the Clinic called the LaPlantes, and Ms. LaPlante came by to make sure that you were okay. You fell off a cliff?!"

Jessica laughed. "Not exactly. Who are the LaPlants?"

"Oh. Well, I thought that was what they…" Diane looked troubled by her lack of accurate information. "They're our neighbors. They live up the street. I thought that something terrib-"

"I'm not sure what happened." Jessica cut her off. "I guess I fainted."

"You shouldn't go walking around alone anymore. What if you're sick?"

"I don't think I'm sick, mom."

"Well, why did you faint?"

"Good question." Jessica thought back to that day's events. The wolf. She was _sure_ she had seen it. Then again, Jacob had said that there weren't any wolves in these parts. And she had no reason _not _to believe him.

"See? That's why I'm concerned."

"Don't be, mom. I'm fine. I promise. I _am_ gonna go lie down for a bit though."

"Okay." Diane looked at her skeptically before turning to put the casserole in the oven. "Want me to call you when dinner is done?"

"You can try." Jessica shrugged before abandoning the kitchen for her bedroom.

She made it into her bedroom, took off her earrings and necklace, pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and removed her coat before collapsing on the bed in exhaustion.

~*~

"Dad, we need to talk."

Billy Black never ceased to be amazed by how much his son had grown in the three years since his transformation had begun. He had gone from scrawny but wily to huge and powerful almost instantly, and his father could never get used to it.

"What's up?"

"Is it possible to imprint more than once?"

Jacob's dad looked at him with surprise. He thought a moment before shaking his head. "No, definitely not."

"I don't know what's going on."

"What happened?"

He could tell by the way that Jacob slumped down next to him in an armchair that he was deeply troubled by whatever had occurred that day. "I thought that I had imprinted on Nessie." He waited for Billy's nod before continuing. "But – I just met this girl and…and it was like nothing I had ever felt before. Not even with Nessie."

"How so?"

"I… I couldn't breathe. My chest felt heavy. I almost changed right in front of her…" He put his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes as though he were fatigued. "It never went away. Even now, I just want to go camp out outside her house just to see if I can catch a glimpse of her. I don't even know her."

Billy nodded, thinking to himself. "That certainly sounds like imprinting. How did you feel when you saw Bella's daughter?"

"I just… I just felt like I didn't want to kill her anymore."

Jacob was getting frustrated by his father's short responses and frequent nodding.

"Well??"

"Well," Billy leaned back in his chair, "It's possible that you didn't actually imprint on Nessie. You just saw her as a cute kid that you didn't want to kill, and you interpreted that as establishing a connection. Which would mean that you have actually imprinted on this girl."

"I don't know."

"Ask Quil what he felt when he met Claire." Jacob was upset that Billy didn't seem concerned. "In the meantime, I want to meet this girl."

~*~

Jessica dreamt that she was running. Running through the green forests of La Push, unable to find her way out and home to safety. She was running and running but from what, she couldn't tell. All she knew was that she had to keep going.

She turned a corner and was abruptly stopped by a gigantic, growling, angry wolf. She backed away in fear and turned to run the other way, but there was another one, nearly identical. The other corner delivered the same result. She had only one place to run: deeper into the forest. She flew as fast as her feet could carry her, but the wolves only followed and they were faster.

Though they were fast and strong enough to take her down, they weren't. They were only growling and running alongside her. Suddenly she realized that they didn't want to hurt her, they wanted to warn her. But warn her about what?

She heard a voice calling from deep within the forest – her mother's voice. She couldn't just leave her there! But the wolves were trying to stop her, trying to tell her not to go any further.

~*~

Jessica was pulled from her dream with a shake. She awoke with a start to see that her mother really had been calling her name. And now she was shaking her by the shoulder.

"Jessica! You have visitors!"

Her first thought was, 'Oh crap, I forgot to call the doctor…'

"I'll be out in a sec." She mumbled from underneath her pillow.

She waited for the sound of her mother leaving the room before crawling out of bed and checking herself in the mirror. She flattened her hair a bit and put on some blush so she didn't look so pale – she didn't want the doctor to think she was a health risk. She pulled a gray hoodie that read "Titans" in green letters across the chest over her head and headed towards the living room.

She was surprised when she recognized the tall, dark figure of Jacob Black sitting on the living room couch across from her mother and another man who looked like he was probably Jake's dad.

"Oh, hey Jacob."

"Hey."

"Jacob here wanted to check up on you and make sure you were feeling all right. Isn't that nice sweetie?"

Jessica smiled at her mom, "I'm sure he wanted to meet you too, mom."

Jacob could feel his face and body heat up at the sound of her voice. Even when she wasn't in the room yet, Jacob could feel her presence. He was surprised that nothing had abated since he had last seen her. When she walked into the room, his heart started racing. When she smiled at him, he thought that he might lose control and burst into his wolf form right there in her living room.

"Well, this is Jacob's father, Billy Black."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Black." She extended a hand that the older man took.

"Please, call me Billy."

Jake watched as she shook his father's hand. Billy looked at him and gave him an almost imperceptible nod of approval.

"We thought we'd stop by to formally welcome you to La Push. Jacob told me about your accident. You have to be careful around those hills. You shouldn't go hiking alone around here."

Jessica took a seat on the couch next to Jacob. "I was a little surprised myself. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before."

The closer she got to him, the more Jacob could feel his skin heat up. Right now, he was boiling.

"The forests can be dangerous. They are unpredictable."

She nodded.

"Dad, I'm sure she is aware of that." Jacob chided, a little embarrassed that his dad was reprimanding her.

Jessica smiled, "I don't know what I was thinking. I guess, people go hiking all of the time. Things happen."

"Very true." Billy told her with an all-knowing nod. She thought he looked quite the stereotype of a wise old Indian chief.

"Jessica sometimes does things without really thinking them through."

"Thanks, mom." Her daughter noted sarcastically, more than a little bit embarrassed.

"I think Jacob has done his fair share of them also."

"Well, this is fun." Jacob turned to Jessica with a smile.

"Tell me about it." She laughed a bit in response.

"We can have our own conversation while they talk about how dumb we are."

"Sounds good."

"How are you liking La Push so far?"

Jessica noticed that her mother and Billy Black had begun an intense discussion about the history of the reservation, no doubt sparked by Billy's comment about the forests. She and Jacob were indeed off on their own little island.

"Ah, well, from what I've seen after two days it's a nice place. I really like the beach."

"The one where I found you is First Beach. There are others. Rialto is really nice."

"I love the beach." She turned to look at his dad. "Mr. Black, would you like some coffee?"

"Billy." He reminded her. "And coffee would be great."

She nodded and turned back to Jacob. "I'm going to make some up."

"I'll come with." He offered, following her towards the kitchen. He couldn't stop himself from admiring her backside, as she made her way through the doorway into the kitchen. Immediately feeling guilty about it, he rubbed his eyes roughly with his fingertips, only allowing himself to look at her again once she was across the kitchen counter from him.

"Anyway, where were we?" she asked, messing around with the coffee maker. "The beach. Love it."

Jacob hopped up on one of two stools that had been pushed underneath the counter. He leaned against the counter, watching her with interest.

Jessica was very aware of his intense observance of her every move. She began to rinse the coffee pitcher out in the sink while trying to think of more conversation topics. "Have you always lived on La Push?"

"Oh yeah," he took a breath, unable to peel his eyes away from her despite the fact that he knew he was probably making her uncomfortable. "My family has lived on this reservation since it was established."

She replaced the pitcher and began measuring out the water. "I'm sorry – I feel really ignorant for not knowing this already, but, when was that?"

"Oh, no worries. You can't be expected to know the whole history of the tribe after two days here."

"Well, I probably should have looked it up."

"Ah, but why when I could tell you?" He smiled and Jessica felt her heart follow its now-familiar pattern of skipping a beat. "The Quileute believe that we trace our lineage back to the Ice Age. We were officially set up as a Reservation in 1889. We're so off the beaten path, none of the "pale-faces" ever really decided to bother us until then."

She noticed that he talked with his hands. Now, they tapped lightly on the wooden countertop, extensions of sinewy, powerful forearms. The deep tan color of his skin was beautiful.

Jessica was torn from her reverie by Jacob's hand moving in front of her face. "You okay?"

"What? Oh, yeah." Her gaze snapped up to meet his. "Sorry. Just zoned out there I guess."

She was worried that her blushing face would give her away to him.

The warm pink that spread through her cheeks after Jacob caught her noticing his arms brought an even bigger smile to his face. As traumatizing as his transformation had been, Jacob was not exactly upset about his new strength and physique.

"I was admiring your skin tone." She admitted. "I know it's natural for you, but I always wished that I could tan. I'm either really white or burnt."

"I think your skin tone is fine."

She flushed again.

"So… What do you guys do around here for fun?"

Jacob shrugged. "I'm not very much fun." He admitted. "We just…hang out." He felt dumb for not having a better answer.

Jessica only laughed. "Well, if you know anyone who would want to hang out with me, send them my way. I hear there are like five people on this reservation that are around my age."

"More like twenty." He corrected. "But, admittedly, pickings are slim."

"I'm just…not very good at meeting people."

"Well, you met me. At least you know _someone_ now."

"Yes, note to self, collapse inexplicably more often in order to meet new people." She smiled and nervously rapped her fingers against the counter. "That's one of the things that sucks about moving around so much." She busied herself with making a plate of snacks. "I never really get to know anyone very well before it's time to move again."

The thought of her moving away make Jacob want to rip his rapidly beating heart out of his chest. "Do you think you'll be here long?"

Jessica shrugged. "I never really know. I stopped expecting it. I started to keep my suitcase mostly packed." She admitted a bit shamefully.

"Wow. That's intense."

"I guess." She was playfully arranging cookies on a square plate. "It just, you know, sucks so much when you get attached to something and then you have to leave. It's better to keep things at arms length. At least until we settle down."

"Well, eventually, you'll be out on your own, right?"

"Yeah. Seems like forever away though. To tell you the truth, I'm kind of afraid of it. I mean, once I don't have my mom, I don't have anyone really."

He watched her looking uncomfortable for a bit. She bit her lower lip lightly, nervously.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I keep going on these tangents with you." She smiled and lifted up the plate with one hand, reaching for the coffee pot with the other.

"I got it." He told her, taking the pot himself. "I don't mind the tangents. You're an interesting person."

Together, they walked into the living room to deliver the goods. Jacob took his seat on the couch while Jessica ran back into the kitchen for mugs and creamer. She returned to pour the coffee and rejoin the conversation.

"I was just telling your mom that she's got to take you over to Forks. It's the nearest town. You'll find more young people there."

"I dunno. I hear that there are twenty people here. That's enough friends for me." Jessica joked.

"Oh, hey, I was supposed to meet Quil fifteen minutes ago." Jacob groaned, looking at his watch. "I'm so sorry – "

"Oh, no worries, Jacob. It was great to meet you!" Diane told him with a smile.

"Yeah, thanks for coming by." Jessica smiled at him. "Sometime I've got to show you those online courses I was telling you about. I should've done it tonight, but I totally forgot about it."

"Oh, yeah, that would be great." He smiled at her, and she was struck by how nice his teeth were.

"I'll show you to the door."

Jessica walked with Jacob to let him out the front door.

"Thanks a lot for today. And for coming by."

"My pleasure. Had to make sure you were okay. Did you call the doc?"

Jessica hissed through her teeth, "Totally forgot."

"Better do that." He told her in a singsong voice as he hopped off the porch onto the ground, skipping four steps. "See ya later!"

"Yeah. See you around." She said, sad to see him go.

~*~

Jacob waited until he heard Jessica shut the door and walk away from it before changing course and heading towards the forest. He removed his clothes and left them at the foot of a tree there before changing into his wolf form. He looked longingly at Jessica's house, where he knew that his father, Diane, and Jessica were continuing their conversation. He desperately wanted to be there, but knew that he had to talk to Quil. He had to figure things out.

He turned away from the house and ran into the forest, listening for the sound of Quil's thoughts.

~*~

Jessica returned to the couch to find that her mother had just left to use the restroom.

"Jacob's great." Jessica told Billy. "God knows what could have happened if he hadn't come by today."

"He's a good kid." Billy agreed.

"I can't believe he found me out there though. Does he go wandering in the woods a lot?"

The older man smiled. "I guess you could say that. Jacob loves these lands. They're very much a part of him."

Jessica's mom returned seconds later, photo album in hand.

"Here are those photos of Ashwin I was telling you about."

Jessica's heart broke when she heard her mother mention her father's name.

"It was some kind of tribal celebration. Very beautiful. And more of him when he was a child."

They started flipping through the album, but Jessica felt like she couldn't breathe. "I'm sorry, I think it's time for me to call it a night. My head kinda hurts. Time for more painkillers."

"It was good fortune to meet you, Jessica." Billy told her, giving her an understanding nod.

Diane looked concerned, but allowed Jessica to leave anyway. She made it around the corner before bursting into tears and running into her bedroom.

~*~

It took only minutes for Quil to join Jacob.

"What's up man?"

"I have to ask you something. Something kind of personal."

The wolves were communicating in their heads, and Jacob felt Quil emerge on his right.

"Sure. What is it?"

"I have to ask about Claire."

"What about her?" Quil was probably accustomed to people asking him about Claire. He didn't seem irritated at all.

"What did you feel when you imprinted?"

Quil turned his giant wolf head to look at Jacob. "Well, probably what you felt when you imprinted on Nessie. It's hard to describe."

"Can you just try?"

While Quil was thinking about Claire, his head filled with fond images of the four year old. Jacob was impacted by how strongly his friend cared for her.

"Well, it's like – a burning feeling spread through me. I just – had to be around her. All the time." Quil's thought brought Jessica into Jacob's mind.

"Woah man, what's going on?"

Jacob knew that Quil had seen the images and felt the feelings he was feeling. "I don't know, man."

"Well, that's imprinting if I've ever seen it. She's gorgeous."

"I know. But what about Nessie?"

"I guess it wasn't really imprinting. I never felt from her what I just felt from this Jessica girl. This is something new. What I got from you for Nessie was that kind of fatherly guardian feeling. You are connected to this other girl at the hip. Permanently."

"I don't even know her, really."

"Get to know her."

"What do I say to Bella?"

"My guess is that she'll be relieved. No one wants their daughter to be dating a shapeshifter."

Jacob just started to pace. He felt like he was betraying Nessie.

"You're not." Quil answered his thoughts. "Ask Sam about it."

Jacob knew that Quil was talking about Sam's abandoning Leah for Emily. Honestly, he wasn't sure he could ask Sam about something that personal. The pack was close, they knew each other's every thought, but some things were just too private to come out and ask about.

"It'll be fine, man. Don't worry about it. Imprinting is a _good_ thing. Aren't you happy?"

Quil saw that Jacob was happy, but he was also worried. Worried about Nessie, worried about Bella, and most of all, worried that his feelings would be unrequited. When he thought that he had imprinted on Nessie, it was a positive thing. He could be with her from the start, she had no reason _not_ to love him. With an adult woman, things were different. Sure, all of the other members of the pack had ended up with the objects of their imprinting, but there was no guarantee.

"I want to meet her."

"Everyone will meet her at some point." Jacob told him.

"Well, I can tell that you're dying to get back to her. So, go ahead."

"But Quil – "

"Look, man, things are fine. Everything will work out. Be happy. You've just found the person you're supposed to be with for the rest of your life."

Jacob peeled off from his run alongside Quil to head back towards Jessica's cabin. He felt Quil's change so he knew that he had more time to think to himself. He used the evening to patrol outside Jessica's cabin, looking longingly at the light coming from her room. His keen ears picked up the sound of her crying softly, and the sound made his bones ache. What had happened? Why was she upset?

Jacob stayed outside all night, listening. The crying continued for hours, then there was silence and in the end, the deep, paced breathing that indicated that she had finally cried herself to sleep.

~*~


	5. Chapter 5: Things Have Changed

**Chapter 5: Things Have Changed**

Jessica woke up next morning in a surprisingly good mood. She spent a few hours on her course work before donning a pair of jeans and a purple long-sleeved cotton t-shirt, and heading downstairs. She figured that she would go towards Forks today to see what there was to do there.

Her mom had left her a note on the counter telling her that she'd be at the Reservation school until around seven that evening because she had a faculty meeting. Remembering the prescription that the doctor had given her, she grabbed the piece of paper and shoved it into her leather backpack. She shoveled a yogurt into her stomach and grabbed a bottle of water before heading down the path towards town on foot.

~*~

Jacob had spent the entire night in his wolf form outside Jessica's window. He retreated into the forest to watch her leave, heading in the direction of Forks. She clearly wasn't one to exercise caution. Nevermind the fact that the doctor had told her to take it easy, his father had told her not to go hiking alone, _and_ she had fallen, unconscious, onto the ground. Granted, she had fallen because he had knocked into her, but that wasn't the point…

He had intended to follow her, until he heard Seth's thoughts calling to him.

"Jake! Where have you been? Bella's been looking for you!"

"She has?"

He hadn't really thought about it, but it _was _odd that he hadn't visited Bella and the Cullens the day before.

"Yeah. She's at your place with Nessie."

Jacob trotted back to the tree where he had left his clothing, and changed quickly before running home. Sure enough, Bella was sitting on the front porch, watching Nessie run around picking flowers in the front yard. Seth had changed back also, and was sitting on the porch banister, legs swinging back and forth youthfully.

Jake was shocked by how fast Nessie had grown. She looked to be about thirteen now, and was getting older by the minute. They theorized that she would stop growing in a year or so and remain a sixteen-year-old forever. He kind of felt sorry for her. He hated being a teenager. But, maybe being a vampire teenager was a little bit less…restrictive.

His eyes moved to Bella, seated cross-legged on his porch swing. He couldn't get used to the way she looked. She was definitely beautiful, but she had been that way before she had been changed by Edward. Now she just looked…dead. Beautiful, but dead. Pale, cold. She was still Bella, and he still loved her, but she was less touchable somehow.

When she saw him, Nessie's face lit up.

"Jake!"

"Hey Jake. Everything okay?"

He wasn't, really. He felt…nervous.

"Yeah. Just…been busy." He reached down to ruffle Nessie's hair.

"We were going to have a birthday party for Renesmee." Bella stepped down from the porch onto the dusty walkway. "I wanted to make sure you could make it."

"Another one?" He looked at the child with mock irritation. Nessie responded by sticking her tongue out and tossing a piece of grass at him.

"Just because she ages quickly doesn't mean she shouldn't get to enjoy as many birthdays as everyone else."

"True enough. When is it?"

"This Wednesday."

"I'll try to be there."

Bella's eyebrows came together in a perplexed look. "You'll _try_?"

"What Bella?" He looked at her, trying not to be irritated. "You gave me two days' notice."

"Like you have so much else to be doing."

"Well, unlike you, some of us still have obligations in the real world."

His words had hurt her, he could tell. But he didn't really care either. Jacob had to admit that he was a little jealous that all of a sudden Bella could so easily forget about her human life and all that it entailed to jaunt around with vampires all day.

"Alright. Well, I guess we'll go."

Hearing her mother's words, Nessie started to argue.

"I don't want to go home. We just got here!"

"Can't you see that Jacob is busy?" Bella asked, looking at him accusingly.

"Is that true, Jake? Are you busy?" Nessie had stopped calling him "Uncle Jake" a few months ago. Jacob thought it was a good thing, at the time. It made things a little less awkward.

Standing there now though, he couldn't see his relationship with Nessie ever becoming something that it wasn't already. She had developed a hard and fast teenage crush on him though. He was flattered and thought it was cute. But right now, he could only think about getting back to Jessica.

It took a few seconds for Jacob to pull his angry eyes away from Bella's face. They softened when they looked at Nessie. "I – I do have some things I need to get back to."

He wasn't looking at Bella, but he could feel her studying him, trying to see what he was up to.

Nessie's face fell and he felt a little twinge of guilt. "Hey, why don't we go hunting later? I'll meet you at the house."

She seemed happy with that conclusion and straightened up, placing a wreath of flowers that she had made onto her head. Bella stepped off of the porch and headed for the car.

"Bye, Jake!" Nessie called over her shoulder as she followed her mother. They hopped in and zoomed off in a cloud of dust.

~*~

"What was that all about?"

Jacob watched the dust from the road settle before turning to look at Seth. "All what?"

"I would have thought that you'd be right on top of that invitation. You'll _try_? And what was with your emo-ness today? I'm sorry, I try not to pry, but when we've changed it's so hard – it's like you're screaming your thoughts."

"I – It's complicated, Seth."

Seth kept bothering him about it until Jacob sat across from him on the porch railing.

"I imprinted."

"Old news, Jake."

"No, Seth," Jacob inhaled deeply, "I imprinted _yesterday_."

Seth was wondering what kind of joke Jacob was trying to make, but the troubled look on his friend's face told him all he needed to know.

"Is that possible?"

"Apparently. I always thought that imprinting was the kind of thing that, when it happened, you just…knew. I guess it isn't."

"But, you knew this time?" Jacob nodded. "Then maybe you were just confused the first time?"

"I think…" Jacob stared at the wooden porch floor, kicking at the peeling light blue paint with his foot. "I think I was just so eager to imprint. I just wanted to – to have _someone_. I had just lost Bella. For real. And – I saw the baby, and I didn't hate it any more. That has to mean something, right?" he looked at Seth, seeking reassurance.

"I mean, it means that you don't hate babies. Babies are hard to hate."

"No, no, no!" Jacob jumped up and started pacing. "How could I have been _wrong_? So WRONG!"

"Relax, man. It's not that big of a deal."

Jacob looked at him as if he had grown antennae. "What do I do now? How do I treat Nessie the same way?"

"Well, do you love her any less?"

Jacob stood silent, thinking.

"I don't think you do." Seth answered for him. "I think you feel the same for her as you did before. You don't need an excuse to care for someone, Jake."

"I guess you're right." Jacob conceded, stepping down off the porch and heading for the woods. He had left his truck near the outer edge of the forest by the beach the last time he'd decided to stretch his legs.

"Where are you going?!?" Seth called, running after him.

"I'm just going – for a run."

Before Seth could ask him any questions, Jacob was pounding through the forest on four paws.

~*~


	6. Chapter 6: Pacific Pizza

Chapter 6: Pacific Pizza

By the time Jacob hopped into his truck and started down the long, winding road towards Forks, Jessica was already in town.

Forks was the definition of one-horse town. She wandered down the road past a series of small shops, one large grocery store, and a pretty big hardware store before entering Chinook Pharmacy and depositing her prescription. She browsed through the items there waiting for it to be filled, but was surprised when the pharmacist tracked her down only minutes later.

"All done." The woman handed her a bag. Jessica heard the pills clap together from within.

"Wow, thanks. That was fast."

"Well, there's so much else to do around here." The young woman joked before leaving to return to her post. Jessica was surprised – in Mississippi, it would take the guys at CVS at least half an hour to fill a prescription. And that was on a slow day.

Jessica left the pharmacy and made her way over to the hardware store, where she began to browse. She was in the process of fixing up an old Chevrolet (1960, Impala) but had been unable to locate many of her tools since unpacking from the move. She selected a pretty cheap but relatively good quality tool kit with wrenches, pliers, and the necessities to get her started again and checked out. As she was leaving the store, she ran right smack into Jacob Black.

"Well, hey there." Jacob smiled, feigning surprise.

"Oh. Jake, hey!"

"Fancy meeting you here."

"Indeed." She smiled and shifted her bag from one hand to the other.

"You – " Jake looked around him as if he were looking for her ride, "You _walked_?"

She shrugged. "Exercise is good for you. I needed to get that prescription filled."

"Yeah, well, I could have given you a ride." He told her. "It's a long way to here from the Rez."

"It actually took me less time than I thought it would." She stepped to the side to let someone into the hardware store.

"Find what you needed?"

"I think so." She lifted her package a little. "Stuff's not too hard to locate. It's either on one side of the stop light or the other."

Jacob's laugh sent the butterflies in her stomach into a frenzy all over again. "What're you up to now?"

She shrugged. "Not sure. I guess I'll look around a bit more before I head back."

"Well, in that case," he shifted awkwardly from one foot to another, "want to grab something to eat?"

Jessica thought for a long minute, weighing her options. On the one hand, she would get to spend more time with him. One the other, what if she ran out of interesting things to say? She could ruin her chances.

Her inner crush won out. "That'd be great."

"Great. We can keep that in my truck if you want." He said, gesturing at her bag.

"Sounds good."

Jacob led the way up the block to the spot where he had left his old blue truck parallel parked. He pulled the passenger side door open and allowed Jessica to toss the shopping bag from the hardware store in.

He swung the door shut and locked it before turning back to her. "Pizza okay?"

"Pizza is wonderful."

"Pacific Pizza it is. This way, milady."

Jessica giggled a little at his flourishing bow, moving in the direction that he indicated. As they strolled along the street, Jessica couldn't help but notice that nearly every female, young or old, took note of Jacob's impressive form. She felt a little possessive – like she wanted to tell them to keep their greedy eyeballs to themselves – but pushed the feelings aside.

The pizza place was a short walk away, and they went inside and grabbed a table quickly.

As they sat down, Jessica began to panic. The awkward scenarios were already beginning to rear their ugly heads: what would they order? Would they split something? What if he didn't _want_ to split? What if they wanted to split but didn't like the same thing? And then, once they had eaten, who would pay? Would they split the check? What would she do if he offered to pay?

Ugh, maybe pizza wasn't the right choice. She should have demanded a Subway or someplace where the lines were more clearly drawn.

"How hungry are you?"

She was so absorbed in her worries that she didn't quiet hear the question. "Huh?"

Jake smiled. "If you tell me your hunger level, I can recommend an appropriate meal plan."

"Ah, well. I am reasonably hungry."

His grin grew larger. "Helpful."

"What do you usually order?"

"Well, they have a really good white pizza here."

"Do you usually eat a whole one?"

"I think I could spare a slice." He winked at her.

Seconds later, a pretty blonde waitress walked up. "Hey there, Jake."

"Hey Melissa."

She looked at Jessica suspiciously. "Where're the guys?"

"Not sure." He shrugged. "This is Jessica. She just moved onto the Rez."

"Nice to meet you." Jessica told her with a smile. Melissa just smiled back a little.

"Well, what'll you have?"

"The usual, please."

She smiled, "One white pizza, comin' right up. And you?"

"We'll split." Jacob answered for her.

The woman looked surprised, but answered with a nod. "Drinks?"

Jacob to Jessica for her response.

"Just water, please."

"And a coke for me."

The waitress left to bring their orders to the chef and Jessica raised her eyebrows at Jacob, "One of your many admirers, I surmise?"

He looked surprise and glanced over at the waitress. "Is she?"

"I think so."

"Hm." Jacob thought about how strange that fact was before shrugging a little and turning back to Jessica. "I'm pretty much oblivious when it comes to stuff like that."

She nodded, though she didn't really understand how he couldn't notice the obvious attraction there. That chick was about as subtle as an anvil.

"So, what were you up to today?"

"Just exploring." She paused as the waitress came by to drop off their drinks. The restaurant was almost empty except for them, another old couple, and a group of teenagers who looked to be skipping school. "Just stopped by the pharmacy to get that pain reliever prescription filled."

"I noticed some tools too. You need work done around the house?"

Jessica hadn't even considered the various parts of the house that were in desperate need of repair. "Come to think of it, yes." She laughed. "I actually bought the tools because I lost my old set."

"I can help out if you need anything. I'm pretty handy."

She nodded. "Good to know. I may take you up on that – I haven't exactly inventoried what needs to be done yet."

"Well, like I said, just let me know. I'm right up the road."

"Cool. Thanks." She took a sip from her water. "So, anything that I should explore here in town before I head back?"

Jake seemed to think about it for a minute and shook his head. "Not really." He laughed. "There's a coffee shop up a ways that a lot of people like to hang out at."

"Any bookstores?"

He shook his head. "Not really. If it's shopping that you're looking for, you'd have to make your way in to Port Angeles. It's about an hour out."

"Geez, for real?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Wow." Their conversation paused briefly as a pizza was set down in front of them and both she and Jacob stole a slice. "I guess I'll have to do some serious ebay-ing then."

He flashed a smile, showing off those perfectly straight, white teeth again. "Yeah. That's Forks, unfortunately."

They had barely begun to enjoy their slices when a loud group of young men came crashing through the doorway to the restaurant.

"Jacob, my man!" one of them called out, jumping impressively over one of the restaurant's booth seats.

Jacob's heart sank. So much for getting to know his new neighbor in the quiet comfort of a pizza parlor booth. He should have known better.

She was smirking at him, eyebrows raised. "Friends of yours?"

He wished she wasn't making that face – it was incredibly sexy and distracting, and he'd need all of his wits about him to combat the embarrassment that was to come.

Sure enough, the pack members (minus Sam and Leah, who weren't much one for kid fun) appeared at the end of their booth.

"And you must be the new girl."

"Hello, new girl."

Jessica smiled up at the guys. Jake was obviously annoyed at the interruption.

"Jessica, these doofuses are Quil, Seth, and Embry. They live on the Rez also."

The first thing that Jessica noted about Jacob and his friends was that they were all surprisingly buff. Jacob had said that life on the Rez was boring – maybe they all worked out in their spare time? Or was there some Quileute gene for buffness?

"Nice to meet y'all."

"Y'all?" the one called Embry responded with mock disbelief. "You are _definitely_ not from around here."

She blushed a little bit and Jacob felt bad for her. "Yeah, well, that's probably a good thing. Because if she was she might be like you." He stabbed back.

Embry pretended to be hurt. "Cold, Jake. Cold."

The one called Seth, who appeared younger than the others, turned to Jessica. "How are you liking Forks?"

"It's…quaint." She told him with an honest smile. "Taking some getting used to. But so far, I've been liking it more than I thought I would."

"You weren't excited about moving here?" Quil asked as he squeezed into the booth next to her, not bothering to ask permission. He ignored Jacob's warning scowl.

She shrugged. "You know, getting uprooted is never fun."

"I don't know, actually." He told her. "I've always lived here."

Jessica felt dumb. "Oh, yeah. Sorry."

He smiled at her, indicating that he didn't expect her to be sorry. "But I know what you mean in that, once you get used to life being one way, it's hard to accept the change."

She thought that all of the boys seemed to exchange knowing glances about something, but as soon as it was there it was gone.

"So, yeah, sorry to break up you're hot date." Embry announced with a shrug that said the opposite. "But, you know, we were hungry." He took and ate a slice of their pizza in almost one gulp.

"Aw, thanks for buying us lunch, Em." Jake told his friend with a big, fake smile.

Their antics continued for about twenty minutes, and Jake and his friends joked around while Seth and Jessica talked about her life in Mississippi and her impressions of Forks. She found that she really liked Sam. He was sweet and friendly and seemed to be a bit more relaxed and shy than the others.

Occasionally Jacob glanced over at Jessica, just to make sure that she wasn't getting annoyed by the intrusion of his friends. To his surprise, she seemed completely at ease with them, and with Seth in particular. They were deep in conversation about wildlife and areas to spot whales around the coast. Every time his eyes left to find her face, Embry and Quil exchanged knowing glances and he was incredibly glad that at that particular moment they couldn't hear his thoughts and he couldn't hear theirs.

"Do you surf?" Embry asked her, effectively ending his conversation with Jacob about the incredible apple pie that Emily had prepared the night before.

Jessica turned to Embry and shook her head. "Nope. Never tried. I might like to some day."

"We've also got great surf out here. We'll have to take you out sometime. The water's pretty choppy now, but maybe once we get through winter."

She nodded, "That would be fun. Of course, I'd probably humiliate and/or kill myself in the attempt."

Quil shrugged with a smile and a wink, "It happens. Maybe we'll save you."

"Jake would save you. He's apparently pretty good at that."

This time, both Jessica _and_ Jacob blushed. "Yeah, well, I apparently have a bad habit of falling on my face."

"With a bodyguard like Jacob, you've got nothing to worry about."

More blushing ensued.

Jacob excused himself to use the restroom and the rest of the guys turned to look at Jessica.

"So. Jacob." Embry looked at her expectantly.

Jessica raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"How do you feel about him?"

This time, her face got even redder. "He's nice."

"Just nice?" Quil was looking for more.

"Guys, leave her alone."

"Oh, come on, Seth. Like you're not interested too."

"I – I just met him."

Embry nodded. "Well, if there's anything you want to know about him. You know, his favorite color, ideal location for a romantic evening –"

"Shoe size." Quil added with a nod.

"All you have to do is ask."

She was quite certain that her blush had spread down her neck and out to her ears. "Good to know."

"Of course, we don't speak for him." Embry told her, as though clarifying an unasked question.

"But we can speak _about_ him all we want." Quil winked at her.

To her relief, Jacob appeared at the table seconds later. "I settled up, so we're clear to go."

Jessica looked disappointed, "You didn't have to do that. How much do I owe you?"

"Oh please, these pigs ate more than the two of us combined. _They_ owe me."

The guys wiggled out of the booth, awkward for their large forms, and Jessica followed gracefully after. She and Jacob led the way, side by side, out of the restaurant.

"For anything they said while I was gone, I'm sorry." He mumbled to her as he held the door open and allowed her to pass by.

She laughed a little, "It wasn't too bad."

"I don't believe you." He told her, allowing the door to swing shut on his friends, who were busy flirting with the waitress.

"Really." She assured him with a smile. "They were okay. I actually really like them. They're…lively."

"That's one way of putting it." He said, watching his friends as they started to come out of the restaurant.

"Well, Jessica, my dear, it was lovely to meet you."

"We'll be by again," Quil assured her, following Embry down the street, "Don't you worry about that."

"I'll let you know when we're set to go out whale watching next. The season's about to end, but I'll try to get out one last time."

"That'd be great." She told him honestly. "I'd really like to get to go."

He nodded and ran to catch up with Quil and Embry, who had covered an impressive amount of ground already. They seemed to be heading to the end of the town.

"Don't they have a car?" Jessica asked Jacob. "Or are they going to walk back?"

Jacob wasn't sure how to answer – they hadn't brought a car, but definitely weren't planning to walk back. "Uh, I'm not sure. They – like to hike. A friend of ours has a cabin not too far from town. They're probably planning to stop there for a rest."

Okay, that was good. Not a _lie_, per say, but successful avoidance of the truth.

"Can I give you a ride back to the Rez?"


End file.
